This invention relates to providing a system for improved refrigeration hot-gas desuperheating. More particularly, this invention relates to providing a system for desuperheating hot gaseous refrigerant using an injection of liquid refrigerant.
Mechanical refrigeration is typically accomplished by circulating, evaporating, and condensing a supply of chemical refrigerant in a continuous thermodynamic cycle. In a typical refrigeration cycle, low pressure vapor refrigerant is compressed by a mechanical compressor and discharged as a pressure superheated vapor. The high pressure refrigerant flows to the condenser by way of a “discharge line”. The condenser is used to change the high pressure refrigerant from a high temperature vapor to a lower temperature liquid that exits the condenser through a “liquid runoff line”. The liquid refrigerant then flows to a thermal expansion valve where the high pressure liquid is changed to a low-pressure, low-temperature vapor. The low-pressure, low-temperature vapor enters the evaporator where a useful heat exchange typically occurs. The low pressure vapor is then returned to the mechanical compressor and the cycle then repeats.
The chemical refrigerant absorbs heat at several points in the refrigeration cycle. Heat is initially absorbed in the evaporator. Further, heat is absorbed by the refrigerant during the compression, such that superheated gaseous refrigerant is discharged from the compressor to the discharge line.
Superheating is a major drawback in refrigeration systems utilizing commercial water-cooled condensers in that passage of the superheated gas through such a condenser can result in the development of detrimental scale deposits (scaling) on the heat-exchanging surfaces. The water used in these condensers typically contains traces of calcium bicarbonate and other dissolved salts that can form water-insoluble deposits when exposed to excessive heat. It would be useful to provide a means for desuperheating of the gaseous refrigerant prior to condensing would reduce such scaling through a proportional reduction of water temperature. Such a method might beneficially extend the time the condenser may operate without maintenance (de-scaling of the coils, coil replacement, etc.), and may further benefit operation by reducing the amount of scale-inhibiting chemicals that must be added to such systems.
It is clear from the above discussion that improved methods of desuperheating gaseous refrigerant prior to movement through such condensers would be of benefit to those whose commerce is dependent on such mechanical systems.